Democratic candidate Heather Bagnall could be poised for an upset after absentee ballot counts put her just 196 votes behind Republican incumbent Tony McConkey in the District 33 delegate race.

Elections officials will finish counting absentee and provisional ballots Wednesday and Friday. Officials began counting last week. Democratic officials think Bagnall has a good chance to overtake McConkey, R-Severna Park, after a strong showing in the initial absentee ballot count. She was 645 votes behind before the count.

Either outcome — McConkey holds on or Bagnall surpasses him — could lead to a recount. Maryland law allows candidates to petition for a recount within three days of results being certified by local county canvassers.

"If wishes and hopes were votes, we've already won,” Bagnall said. “We've got the will of the community on our side so now we'll see if it translates in the numbers."

County Democrats flexed their confidence in a statement released Saturday.

“We fully expect the race to tighten even more after provisional ballots are counted and we may see one of the biggest upsets in our county in more than a decade by the time all votes are counted,” said Patrick Armstrong, chair of the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee.

It will be tough for McConkey to maintain his lead, but he said he was confident the final tally will be in his favor. McConkey had the fewest absentee ballots while Bagnall had the most after the Thursday count.

McConkey said he believed he would hold onto the lead as the first ballot count was one of the largest batches.

He said he has been attending daily mass and lighting candles as the votes are tallied.

“If the percentages hold out then we should be OK,” McConkey said. “I did not think it would be this close. I got more votes than I did in 2014.”

Voters went to the polls like it was a presidential election rather than a midterm and the District 33 race was much closer than 2014.

The top six candidates split the votes with Democrats performing stronger than they typically do in the conservative district. Just 2.3 percent of the vote separated the sixth place candidate from the first. That’s about 5,000 votes between Del. Michael Malone, R-Crofton, and Democratic challenger Tracie Cramer Hovermale.

There are three delegate seats in District 33, so the top three are sent to Annapolis. All three incumbents are Republicans.

McConkey’s seat has been viewed as weaker than others because of the delegate’s past controversy surrounding his law license — he has been disbarred — and his real estate work. His real estate license was suspended and he brought forth more controversy after filing legislation that would have allowed him to regain that license.

The Severna Park Republican was in the news again during early voting after a confrontation with an election judge resulted in police intervention. The judge called police after the verbal altercation. A video of the incident showed the judge yelling at McConkey, telling him not to swear at him again.

McConkey has defended himself, saying he was arguing about the electioneering distance and didn’t swear. He said it was more than the 100 feet required by law.

Police responded and spoke to the judge and McConkey, who had varying reports about what occurred, according to the police report. The judge — who is a Marine and gay — said McConkey kept yelling “Don’t ask, don’t tell” at him, which he took as a derogatory slight toward gay service members. That terminology was used by the U.S. military policy stating gay military members could serve as long as they didn’t openly disclose their sexual orientation. That policy was repealed under President Barack Obama.

McConkey denied yelling that phrase, telling officers he just wanted the election line measured.

Key School, an exclusive private school in Annapolis, is at the center of a newly released report that details a history of alleged sexual abuse that went unchecked between the 1970s and early 1990s. The report concluded 10 adults in authority positions engaged in sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships with at least 16 former students.

Key School, an exclusive private school in Annapolis, is at the center of a newly released report that details a history of alleged sexual abuse that went unchecked between the 1970s and early 1990s. The report concluded 10 adults in authority positions engaged in sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships with at least 16 former students.

Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action on Gun Violence held a joint press conference at the Maryland House of Delegates Office Building with delegates, survivors and activists to promote gun control legislation this session.

Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action on Gun Violence held a joint press conference at the Maryland House of Delegates Office Building with delegates, survivors and activists to promote gun control legislation this session.